Sleep Tracks and Brainwave Entrainment Review

Beating debilitating, chronic insomnia has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever accomplished in my life, and I don't know if I could have ever done it without the Sleep Tracks program. Having already tried every single other remedy you can name to no avail, I'll admit it was desperation that led me to start looking at internet-only remedies and programs.

The Sleep Tracks system is essentially a series of CDs of ambient music that actually works with your brain to bring on the mellow Theta and Delta brainwaves you need to fall asleep and feel rested when you wake up. This process is called 'brainwave entrainment' and if you're a serious, long-term insomniac like I was you probably need it. I say that because I know from personal experience that after years of not being able to sleep you can just get so thoroughly stressed-out about it that you end up having no idea how to go to sleep like a normal person. Unlike pills and other remedies, brainwave entrainment works with your brain's natural rhythms to not only lull you to sleep but train you to sleep well every night, so that eventually you won't even need the CDs.

That said, you can't just expect to pop in a disc and be instantly cured. You still need to develop the right habits and relaxation routines to prepare for a good night's rest-at this point you probably need a complete re-education on sleep. I know I did. The Sleep Tracks program also gets you online access to a series of videos on this topic. (Note: the CD tracks are online, too, so once you buy the program you can start right away. You get the actual physical CDs in the mail a few days later.) A lot of the info in the video content was stuff I'd already been told, but there's something about the soothing voice and relaxing style of these videos that makes it all very convincing and easy to listen to, as opposed to say, hearing it from your doctor or some know-it-all relative. And I did learn a lot of things I didn't know before-for example, did you know that watching TV or, worse, sitting directly in front of a computer screen stimulates rapid beta brainwaves, which are the opposite of what you need to fall asleep? Yes, that means that all those sleepless nights you spent surfing the web you really were just making things worse for yourself.

If you take the quiz and watch the short introductory video at the Sleep Tracks site (www.saynotoinsomnia.com) I think you'll see what I mean. After watching this short video alone I started feeling a lot better and dreaded going to bed a little less. To me it's the quality and 'big picture' approach that sets Sleep Tracks apart from other methods.

There are other brainwave entrainment options out there-you can even download free tracks at sites like www.healingbeats.com, but I found the quality to be kind of bad-too much hissing!- and you need to listen to them on headphones, which isn't a fun or comfortable thing to do in bed. They definitely relaxed me and gave me a feeling of mellow euphoria, and I did feel inexplicably better the next day, but they didn't get me to sleep right away.

The Unexplainable Store has individual brainwave entrainment tracks you can pay to download, but they don't come with any supplementary educational materials. If you think you've already got a good grasp of relaxation techniques and healthy sleep habits and just want to try brainwave entrainment by itself you could save yourself a few bucks here. The site also has all kinds of tracks for objectives other than sleeping well, like motivating yourself to succeed or hypnotize yourself, but like the ones at healingbeats.com these only work if you listen to them through headphones. Another option is the 12-beat package available for just under $40 at www.mindcodebreaker.com. You get not only a one-hour track to get you to sleep but 11 others, to help with motivation, focus, relaxation, etc.

These options may work for you, or it may be better for you to spend a bit more on Sleep Tracks and get a whole system that basically 'de-programs' your insomnia once and for all. It costs $80, which isn't exactly cheap, but is still slightly less than two Ambien refills and a whole lot less than going under sleep observation. And the productivity and energy you'll have once you start sleeping normally again is something you really can't put a price on. Looking back on how I used to feel all the time versus how I feel now I can honestly say that Sleep Tracks saved my life. I can't recommend it highly enough.